Two or Nothing
by semPIE129
Summary: Naruto's twin sister was born a little different. She couldn't speak and it was hard for her to hear out of her left ear. The two form a strong bond, despite their differences. When the twins enter the academy, what will happen when they can't be put on the same team?
1. Thievery? The Melon of Friendship!

Two blondes snuck in the shade of an alley way, eyes glued upon the delicious prize up ahead: a watermelon.

"Come on sis!" The boy muttered, signalling with a wave for his twin to follow.

She just nodded in response, ducking behind the stand with shinobi-like silence. Hushing each other repeatedly, they peeked up and out of the darkness of their hiding spots, eyes wide in longing, as they stared at the large globular fruits, waiting for the owners back to turn.

"Now!" Quickly as they could, the two dashed forward, each grappling onto a green melon, stashing it in the crook of their arms, and taking to the crowded streets again.

A few seconds too late, the vender called out, waving his hands high as to alert the surrounding shoppers of their thieving ways. "Hey! You kids come back here!" He would have gone after them himself but he had a stand to run. Shaking his head in dissappointment he returned his full attention back to his customer.

The blonde couple snickered, sprinting up a rickety set of steps and slinking through their apartment door. "That was a close one, Yanami!" The male announced with glory, wiping a line of sweat from his brow.

Said Yanami only nodded, tucking a strand of stray hair hind her ear and looking down with a hungry gaze at the melon.

Seeming to perceive a hidden message of sorts, the boy rushed to the kitchen, running back with a large knife and cutting board. He quickly chopped the fruit into several slices, generously giving the larger piece to his sibling. "Dig in!"

Not wasting a beat, they engaged in the feast of fruit kings. At least to them, it was nothing less than perfection.

The girl finished up, sliding that same strand of hair back where it belonged before patting her stomach with a flat hand, a contented look upon her face. She pulled out a pen and paper and began to scribble furiously, before holding up the sheet for her sibling to see. "Thanks Naruto! That was great." It read in neat print.

Naruto jumped to his feet and gave a thumbs-up. "No problem!" He spun and dashed toward his room, watching with a smirk as his sister raced after him. The two tackled each other on the bed, one laughing furiously while the other giggled in silence, while furiously tickling.

"Y-Yanami!" Naruto cried, attempting to breath between giggles, relaxing slightly as her two stealthy hands slid from his sides. "Phew, you win! You win!"

He plopped on his back, staring at the ceiling, holding his sister's hand. "I don't know what I would do without you, sis!" He chimed, turning his head to face her.

Yanami grinning back, mouthing the words 'me neither' before leaning in and kissing his cheek.

He blushed, quickly twisting away and shrinking into a fetal position. "Good night." He stated into his knees, the sound muffled by his scrappy shorts.

Yanami patted Naruto's back three times, a signal only the two of them knew, meaning 'love you.'

Naruto grinned in the increasing darkness, admiring the pink the sunset placed upon the surroundings. "Love you too."


	2. Ready For The Academy!

Naruto tossed and turned in his sleep as the day began to shine through his curtains. He let out a small groan as the light hit his eyes. "Ugh." He buried himself further into the sheets, his eyes squinted shut. He dreaded today. "Yanami..." He mumbled, reaching out, expecting to pat his sibling, only to find her usual friendly figure had disappeared.

He sat up quickly, searching the surrounding room with curious eyes for his blonde twin. He heard shuffling in the kitchen, and hopped from bed, rubbing his eyes in sleepiness. He trudged down the hall and into the dining room, looking up to see his silent sister prepping two lunches.

She looked up from a bento box as Naruto yawned, smiling and waving hello. Naruto waved back, "Morning sis!" He sat at the table, letting his head flop down. As he was about to fall asleep again, he felt three light taps on the shoulder. "Yeah, yeah, love you too..." He mumbled under his breath. Before he could correct his poor manners, he was tossed from his chair, a piece of paper slapped into his face a few seconds later.

It read: "Don't be a lazy bastard! You know today is my first day! You have been to school before, but today is special for me! Don't ruin it by being lazy!" Yanami tapped her foot rapidly in waiting before snatching back the sheet and tearing it to bits, her face burning a bright red with rage.

"Sorry..." The boy whispered, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "I just forgot, but I promise I'll make it up to you!"

Yanami rolled her eyes, reaching a hand out to aid her sibling to his feet. She then gave a thumbs up, reassuring that it was alright and he shouldn't worry. The siblings could tell a lot about each other without doing much.

"Oh..." Naruto stiffened before paling slightly, looking at the floor. "I-I need to tell you something."

Yanami returned to the stove, cracking an egg in the pan before picking up the second on, nodding to show he had her attention.

"We can't be brother and sister anymore..."

The egg shattered on the countertop corner, slipping from the girl's loose, shaking hands and towards the floor. 'WHY!?' She mouthed, her eyes wide, confused and outraged and really wishing she could yell.

"They all hate me there! I don't want them to hurt you too!"

Yanami shut her mouth, which had until then been opening and closing like a fish out of water, relaxing slightly, her shoulders slumping as she brought her hand to her lips.

Naruto continued, "Remember that genjutsu I taught you?"

Yanami pulled out her note pad, scribbling some words then holding it up. "Sexy jutsu?"

Naruto nodded violently, a smile replacing the small frown. "Use something like that and change your looks."

The girl cocked her head, slightly confused. "You want me to go to school naked!" She wrote furiously, laughing, having to grip the counter for support.

The boy blushed intensely, "NO NO! Just use the technique but add clothing! Make sure you look different then me though, okay? And you can't have the same name a-"

He was interrupted by a puff of smoke. Replacing his sibling was a brown haired girl, her eyes still the same vivid blue, but her whiskers were taken from her cheeks and replaced with freckles. She wore a pale blue tee-shirt and scruffy shorts. She winked and gave a quick thumbs up.

Naruto clapped, giggling a little in glee. "That's Perfect! Now for you're name..." Tapping his chin, he put on a thinking face, before raising his finger in a declaring gesture. "I know! Yoeko!"

Yanami shrugged, shutting both bentos and giving one to her brother before motioning for him to follow her out the door. If they didn't hurry, they would be late!


	3. Friends? 1st Day At The Academy!

Yanami yawned, placing her head in the crook of her arms, prepared to sleep. It was only the first few hours of class and she was already bored.

'Naruto...' she mouthed, turning back to lock gazes with her sibling, who smiled slightly before motioning for her to look away quickly. Sighing, she did as she was told, watching lazily as Iruka Sensei scribbled more nonsense on the chalk board.

Yanami decided to use this time as thinking time. Naruto said he didn't want to be brother and sister, well at least not in public, but could she still be herself at home? She resisted looking back at her brother, trying to hold back tears. She still wanted to be his sister...

"Yoeko!" Hearing her fake name, Yanami straightened in her seat. "I know it's your first day, but that is no excuse to fall asleep during one of my lessons."

'Sorry sensei...' she wrote in big letter on a paper, holding it up while blushing profusely. It was only a few minutes to wait until break and she was getting antsy; if she couldn't sleep, and had to sit still for so long, she would surely explode!

"Alright class, you guys can go out for a little break now. Make sure to make Yoeko feel welcome and don't break anything important." Half of the class was already out of the room before Iruka could even finish his sentence. Sighing, the man sat down, watching as the remaining students slunk out.

Yanami walked slowly down the hall, nervously looking around. She didn't like being alone since she normally had her twin with her for company. She stiffened, feeling a tap on her shoulder.

Turning around, she was face to face with a little pink-haired girl. "Yoeko, right?" Yanami nodded, not sure what to do. "I'm Sakura! I wanted to ask you something..." the girl blushed, looking down at her shoes. "Do you like Sasuke-kun?"

Yanami shrugged, swiftly pulling out her notepad: 'who?'

"Who!?" Sakura shrieked. "The hawtest, smartest, BEST boy in the entire grade! He is so strong!" She continued to babble, beginning to get Yanami interested. She wanted to see this 'Sasuke-kun' now.

"Come with me I'll show you! I was heading this way anyways... so I can watch him train! He's so amazing..." Sakura took hold of Yanami's wrist, dragging her towards an open field.

In the center was a boy, his dark hair shimmering in the sun, his hands quickly flinging kunai and shuriken with great precision at a training post.

It was hard to look away, but upon doing so, Yanami noticed Sakura drooling. She decided to not bother the girl with this information since she seemed so absorbed in her stalking efforts.

Suddenly the boy stopped, turning towards the two, who were still 'hidden' behind a bush. Gulping, Yanami made a run for it, dragging a stunned Sakura with her.

"Did you see that?" Sakura cooed upon getting a safe distance from Sasuke, her heart fluttering in her chest. "He looked at me!"

Yanami rolled her eyes, plopping the girl on the grass, wiping her brow. It was hard work dragging a nearly unconscious fangirl across the yard.

Hearing a whistle, Yanami perked up. She looked back towards the Academy, where Iruka was calling everyone inside. Leaving a heart-eyed Sakura, she ran back in, sliding smoothly into her seat.

With a huff, someone sat behind her. Turning around, Yanami's eyes grew wide. Sasuke sat right behind her.

"What?" He hissed, noticing the staring brunette. The gurl shook her head and looked away, clenching her shorts in tight fists.

 _'I hate school!'_ She thought, trying to keep the redness from her cheeks.


	4. Yanami to Yoeko - EXPLAINED!

(A/N: explaining the name switch and some of Yanami's past in comparison to Naruto's. Important: please read!)

Yanami was a mistake. A plunder. A someone that came but wasn't supposed to. Though it didn't matter much since her parents died shortly after.

Naruto, raised alone, was unlike Yanami in that her infant years were quite blissful. She did not contain the fox-spirit like her sibling did, and thus was seen as a virtue. An angel, and instead everyone named Naruto the mistake.

After both children reached around two years old, they had become lonely. No matter who tried to help them, the twins were not happy. They needed each other.

On their fourth birthday, the Hokage decided it would be harder to try and separate Yanami and Naruto for the sake of Yanami, and let them stay together.

As expected, the two formed a strong bond. Naruto loved his sister, and she felt the same about him.

However one day, a month or two before Yanami's first day at the Academy, Naruto had a bad dream.

He dreamt of his sister getting beaten, rocks thrown at her, sitting alone: like him. He didn't want this for her. To try and solve the problem, Naruto went to the Hokage.

"Old man! You can't let Yanami go to the Academy!" Naruto burst into the office, the Hokage peering up from his papers with a confused look.

"I thought you would be happy Naruto, sit down and explain yourself."

And that was what Naruto did. He explained how Yanami would get beaten up for being his sister, and how she would end up lonely like him even though she did nothing wrong.

The Hokage thought for a moment before coming to a conclusion. "Then she will not be your sister."

Naruto was outraged, "You can't just not make her my sister!" He began, but the Hokage stopped him.

"At least, you can pretend she isn't. At school, I will allow for her to have a different name and appearance. Knowing you, you will find a way to make this happen."

Naruto was silent, making sure it would all work out as he planned. Grinning sheepishly he bounded from the room. "Thanks Old Man!"

And so, skipping forward in time, the morning before Yanami's first day, Naruto finally remembered his plans with the Hokage a month or so back.

Thus, Yanami stayed Yanami at home, and became Yoeko in public.


	5. Siblings For Life!

Yanami plopped on the couch, quickly releasing her genjutsu with a sigh, returning to her usual blonde self.

"How was it?" Naruto asked, sitting next to her. The girl didn't reply, instead she turned away from him, cheeks puffed. "Was it really that bad?" He offered, scratching his head in confusion.

Yanami just buried her face further into the couch cushion, waiting for her brother to go away.

"Tell me later then..." he trailed off, waiting a few seconds longer to see if she'd change her mind before getting up and walking into the kitchen. "Want some ramen?"

The girl nodded. Hearing the water boiling and the salty smell drifting from the instant ramen package quickly brought her from her sulking position, luring her to the table.

She lazily pulled up a chair, taking a seat. Her eyes softened upon seeing her brother, a tender smile spreading across her face. She loved him; loved him a lot.

A question suddenly popped into her head and she reached for her paper notepad, snatching a pencil from her pocket. "Naruto?" She tapped the table to get his attention. "Who is this 'Sasuke' boy to you?"

Naruto growled, as if put on edge. He placed a ramen cup in front of his sister before plopping down into a seat with his own. "Did that jerk do something mean to you?"

Yanami shook her head, the boy's attitude making it clear who this Sasuke fellow was.

"Stay away from that snotty brat." He rolled his eyes, "I mean come on! All the girls want him! It's so annoying!" Stuffing a few chopsticks full of ramen into his mouth, he slowly but steadily calmed down.

Yanami shrugged, stopping her eating only to scribble some lettering down. "Is he always so... emo?"

Naruto snickered before nodding. "He's always brooding, like planning something. His hair's funny too." He snickered a little more, letting his sibling mull over the words.

Yanami made a silent laugh before continuing to consume her packet of salty noodles. She didn't like this Sasuke if her brother didn't. She had to admit he was kind of attractive, and from what Sakura was saying, he was even better, but his attitude was appalling. Also, Naruto hated him, so that gave her another reason to feel disdain towards him.

Finishing their food, the two separated ways. Naruto, will a full stomach, went to sleep, while Yanami decided to go train. Her brother trained really hard, she saw him everyday, and decided she would give it a try.

Arriving at the training field, a familiar sound caught her ear. The _tak tak_ of kunai striking a wooden post. Peering around the corner, Yanami's eyes settled upon a dark, dreary figure, who was launching weapons at the training post with great accuracy.

Scoffing, Yanami was about to leave, when she heard a voice. "Whose there?" It snarled, the girl cringing at the sound. Sasuke had noticed her. Turning around, she was about to go confront him, when she remembered she still looked like... 'Yanami' and not 'Yoeko'.

Cussing under her breath, she ran away, breathing heavily by the time she stopped. She was in the center of the town and the sun was setting. Taking a seat, she released a long sigh. She leaned back in the empty street, staring up into the sky at the drifting clouds, admiring them.

The clouds, like her, were all alone amongst all the other clouds, even though she was the same as them. However, she didn't mind this, since the sun kept her warm... the sun was just like her brother. Taking in a sharp breath, she jumped to her feet. She'd have to train another day.


	6. Yoeko? Caught Red Handed!

Naruto sat idle in the classroom, his boredom getting the best of him, his head bobbing slightly before finally resting on the table top, a light snore escaping his slightly parted lips.

Iruka hadn't seemed to notice this spectacle of a student yet and continued on with his lesson. Yanami was in a similar state as her sibling, but she did find the talk about chakra to be pretty interesting, so when the time for break came, she was slightly disappointed.

Hopping from her chair and out of the aisle, she bumped into someone. "Oh, hey Yoeko!" A sweet voice chirped, alerting the girl of Sakura's presence.

Her pink hair bobbed adorably about her shoulders, her usual smile bright on her face. Yanami waved back, glad to see she might actual have a friend, aside from Naruto of coarse.

"I was going to go eat some lunch, do you wanna come?" Yanami's stomach grumbled upon hearing the words. She blushed and nodded as Sakura released a small laugh. "Follow me!"

Out of the building, and half way across the yard, someone stopped Sakura. Looking up, Yanami caught a hint of black and a whole lot of emo.

"I thought I told you not to stalk me, Sakura." He growled, causing for the pink-haired girl to blush at the fact he was actually speaking to her.

"W-what do you mean?" The girl stuttered out, managing to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, before returning it shakily to your side. "I don't stalk you _that_ often." She continued, shuffling her feet awkwardly.

"Then who was watching me train yesterday? School was already out. Were you following me?"

The girl couldn't help but flounder at the accusations. "I didn't do that! Honest, Sasuke-kun!"

About to persist further, Sasuke stopped upon feeling a light tap at his shoulder. Instead of a face, there was a piece of paper, reading: "It was me! Stop bothering Sakura-chan!"

Sasuke shoved the paper away to get a closer look at the culprit. A small brunette stood there, twisting a lock of hair around her finger, her other hand gripped tightly around the paper.

The boy scoffed, having not seen the girl before, just finding her as a new, unwanted pest. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he turned to walk away. Sakura stood there stunned, unable to speak, while Yanami wanted to cry and run away.

Ready to explain, Yanami pulled out a pencil, but it was quickly slapped from her hands by a fuming Sakura. "I thought you said you didn't like him!"

Yanami shook her head defensively, waving her hands in an X-shape to try and tell the girl it wasn't what it looked like.

"Y-you lied to me, Yoeko! Y-y-you lied!" The girl's face was redder than an over-ripe tomato, and her usually bright green eyes eyes were now sullied by anger. "We can't be friends! In fact, we'll be enemies! You can't have Sasuke-kun because he's mine! Don't even think about having him!"

Not giving Yoeko time to write a response, the young girl was already gone, her figure disappearing into the mob of students rushing back to class. Yeoko sat on the ground, exactly where she stood, buried her face in her knees, and cried. She didn't want to go back inside that classroom. Not now. Not ever.


	7. Naruto Save The Day!

Yanami wasn't home yet.

Naruto sat in the living room, his foot tapping anxiously at the floor, worry evident in his expression. "Where is she?" He growled, quickly jumping to his feet, unable to stay seated any longer.

Meanwhile, Yanami sat, sniffling in the center of the training field, her back leaned against a training post.

She had run from the school yard and sat there sobbing for what seemed like hours. Her brother had always protected ehr from this hate, her heart having never heart so much. She wanted him now, but felt too weak to get up and do anything. Besides, she didn't know where he was.

As she went to brush a tear from her eye for what seemed like the thousandth time, there was a light _tak_ on the other side of the pole. Someone else was here.

Standing up, the girl went rigid. She could feel the cold glare of a certain Uchiha boring a hole in the back of her head. She gulped, turning around, but relaxed a little realizing she still had her genjutsu on.

She waved, mouthing a hello, still a little stunned after this afternoon.

"Are you here to stalk me again?" Sasuke hissed, causing the girl to tear up again, her hands quivering for her pen and paper. The boy gave her an odd look.

Pulling out a paper, Yanami began to write. And write. And write. Finally holding up the paper, with slopped unsteady writing all over it, Sasuke read: "I wasn't stalking you! I had been here to train last time, saw you, and decided to train another time. I am sorry. I would have told you then but I didn't want to interrupt you..."

Sasuke scoffed. "Then why are you here now?" He seemed oblivious of her tear stained face, or just didn't bother to try and notice.

"Sakura hates me." The girl wrote. "She thinks I stalk you when I don't." Looking at the ground, she began to shuffle her feet, expecting a sour reply, only to be met by the sound of kunai smacking a post. Looking up, Sasuke was ignoring her, absorbed training instead, as if she and that conversation had never existed.

Sighing, she walked away. If she was someone else, she would ignore herself too. She hated school and was beginning to see why her brother disliked it so much as well. Maybe it just ran in the family. No matter how they look, they are always hated.

"Yanami!" Hearing her real name, Yanami finally released the genjutsu she had been struggling to hold for so long that day, rushing towards the familiar sound.

'Naruto!' She attempted to scream, sprinting down the street towards her blonde sibling. Jumping into his arms, she buried her head in his shoulder, letting herself go.

Providing support, Naruto and his sister slowly made their way towards their apartment, the boy making an occasional joke to keep his sister smiling. "Also! Yanami, I have another prank idea." The boy snickered. "I'm going to paint the Hokage faces!"

Yanami burst with silent laughter as the two began walking up the apartment building stairs, her smile still beaming as Naruto unlocked the door. "Can I join you?" She asked from her notepad.

Naruto nodded. "I got you some extra paint! You're read to go! Come on, lets sleep, we'll need to get up early tomorrow!"


	8. Colorful Hokages! Where's Naruto?

Yanami sulked all morning, the sun not even bringing her spirits up as it normally did. Naruto didn't seem to understand what the big deal was, since the girl still hadn't fully explained the situation. Determined to make his sister herself again, the boy handed the girl a paint bucket and brush with great enthusiasm.

"You know what today is!" He cooed, pointing out the open window, the Hokage faces in all their glory basically glowing in the morning sunshine at the tip of his finger. "Art day!"

Resisting a giggle, the girl decided today would be a good day. She wouldn't think of Sasuke or Sakura. Giving a thumbs up and toothy grin, the two ran out the door, bouncing from roof to roof, their target magnificent and gigantic in their eyes.

Several civilians watched from below with scorn. They knew something was coming. The twins were renowned for their trouble-making tendencies.

Stopping on a ledge directly below their victims, the twins decided they needed a plan.

"Quick and simple." Naruto whispered, "if we take too long, someone will catch on." Nodding, Yanami got into a starting position. "Ready, set, GO! GO! GO!" The three got to work.

Bouncing from face to face, the two added many colorful splotches of paint to each hokage. Laughing hysterically, Naruto leapt back to the nearest roof to observe his masterpiece. "It's perfect-"

"NOT SO FAST!" A voice yelled from in the distance. Spinning around, Naruto caught a glimpse of four ninja, rushing towards him, one of them being Iruka sensei.

"Haha! We needa go, Yanami!" Turning back, he noticed his sister was gone. "Y-Yanami?"

Yanami lay in the bushed at the bottom of the cliff, her eyes fluttering slowly as she weaved in and out of consciousness. The scolding yell from earlier had surprised the girl, causing her to slip and fall. Unable to scream and get anyone's attention, she descended in silence, smacking the tree leaves with a severe _SLAP_ , before she tumbled from it's branches into a group of dense shrubs.

'Naruto...' she attempted to mouth, unable to see correctly, the world around her swirling and shaded. She blinked: once, twice, before suddenly all fell dark, and she was left in the silent abyss of deep sleep.

"What happened?" A voice, seemingly gurgled from Yanami's perspective, was the first thing she had heard since her fall. "What happened? Are you awake?" The sound came again, this time crisper and cleaner.

Light. Yanami's eyes were met with a blinding light, before it slowly toned down revealing a patsy white ceiling. Sniffling, the girl caught a whiff of hand sanitizer, or some sort of cleaning product she didn't recognize. Then it all became apparent; she was in a hospital.

Jerking up, Yanami nearly butted heads with the nurse, who had been bent over watching the girl rest. "Oh! You are awake! Sorry if I startled you."

Yanami shook her head, her mouth moving a mile-a-minute but not a single sound escaping her quivering lips. 'Naruto! Naruto! Naruto! My brother! Please!'

"Woah! Calm down, calm down. You look a lot like... a certain someone." The nurse's previously friendly expression turned slightly sour. "You were also quite close to the hokage faces when they were painted this morning... and there was a tumbled paint can quite close-HEY get back here, kid!"

Leaping out the open window, Yanami jumped from her place on the second story roofline, landing with a thump in the pavilion, before dashing out into the street. She needed to find her brother.


	9. Alone or Together? Yanami Decides!

Naruto sat, silently, at the front of the class, tied with rope. He hated this part of pranks. First there was the lecture:

"Naruto! This has to stop! You disrupted my class multiple times! You and your sister have caused enough trouble! Why did you go and ruin her? _sigh_."

Next, came the punishment, which was applied to the entire class:

"Everyone, line up at the front! We are doing the transformation jutsu because SOMEONE thought it was a good day to paint the Hokage faces!"

Now is when the students would whine and glare at Naruto, while Iruka cleared his throat and untied the rebellious boy. Lining up, everyone would then perform the jutsu as instructed:

"Transform into me! Sasuke, you're first."

Grunting, the emo kid walked lazily to the head of the room. Sighing, he performed the correct hand signs while mumbling "transformation jutsu," under his breath, creating a perfect reflection of his sensei.

"Good! As I expected! Next, Sakura!"

Sakura performed the same as Sasuke, however added a "Did you see that, Sasuke~kun?" at the end of her jutsu.

"Now, Naruto."

Coming up with a smirk, the boy quickly sighed and disappeared in a puff of smoke. "Sexy Jutsu!" He announced with glory, transforming into a seemingly naked woman, clouds of smoke hiding things that should remain unseen.

Iruka flew back with a nosebleed, however quickly recovering to scold his student. Many chuckled while others rolled their eyes. Naruto broke the jutsu, laughing uncontrollably. "Haha! You should have seen your face, sensei!"

"To the back of the line, Naruto!" The man ordered, wiping his still bleeding nose. "Next!"

The rest of the students performed the jutsu, correctly, until everyone had gone. Returning to their seats, the day went on as always. Naruto's smirk quickly faded as he realized a face was missing from the class. Yanami.

Naruto was tempted to raise his hand and mention the girl's absence, but quickly thought otherwise, he wouldn't want to raise suspicions. And due to all the madness the boy had caused, he suspected his teacher hadn't even noticed. Releasing a low growl, the boy sunk deep into his seat, glaring at the board with the highest disdain.

Meanwhile, a blonde rushed through the streets, eyes fuzzed with tears and her brain still a little fuzzy from the fall. 'Naruto!' she mouthed out of desperation, growing tired after about a straight hour of sprinting, and took a rest, falling face first into a puddle. Sitting up with a sniffle, Yanami decided it was about time to think. _He must be at school._ She thought, cupping her face in her hand and releasing a silent screech. _I'm such a klutz..._

Slowly calming down, the girl took in her surroundings. She was in the training field... alone. Perking up, she decided it was time to train. _chakra_. She thought, it had been her favorite lesson. The idea that everyone had this kind of 'magic' mystified her. Genjutsu was the most intriguing to her out of it all. Jumping to her feet, the girl tried to remember some genjutsu techniques.

Taking in a deep breath, she began to train. Or tried to, but it was a little difficult to do so without a training dummy to test your skills out on... she would ask Naruto to help her later. Eventually giving up, the girl pulled out some kunai. Trying to copy what her sensei had taught her in the Academy, the girl flung a knife at the nearest training post. Failing miserably, the weapon went flying past the destined post and into the shrubs.

"Watch where you throw those, Yanami." A kind, elderly voice chirped from behind her. Spinning around, the girl locked eyes with the Hokage, her face immediately turning beet red. "It's alright, don't worry, I'm not here to bother you about that small... _excursion_ you had a few hours ago with your rambunctious sibling."

'Sorry...' the girl mouthed, bowing slightly to at least make some amends.

"I was here to talk to you about school." The girl shifted from foot to foot, thinking bad thoughts. "Your brother has already informed me of the situation, and I just wanted to let you know that... you and him, might not be on the same team at the end of the year."

Yanami stiffened, the thought of NOT being with her brother never having even crossed her mind. Pulling out a notepad, she scribbled frantically. "Why not!? Me and him would work perfectly together! I can do almost everything he can! He taught me!"

The Hokage chuckled. "That is not the issue. Aside the fact you joined the class in the middle of the year, have you taken note of how many students there are?" Thinking, Yanami shook her head in response. "There are enough for exactly eleven teams, you not included."

Yanami felt her knees quiver in confusion, she felt slightly dizzy. She blamed it on her fall a short while ago, unaware of the tears about to burst from her shimmering, blue eyes.

"You get to decide. Get held back a year and join a team, or be trained on your own with your very own personal sensei. Your choice." The girl, about to speak, was kept still by the raise of a hand. "Don't tell me just yet, I want you to think. Tomorrow morning before class, come to my office and we will talk. Come as Yoeko."

The girl blushed profusely once more, bowing her head again as the man walked from the field. Upon realizing he was gone, the girl tightened her fists at her side, determination clouding her eyes. Spinning back towards her training post, the girl began her training once more. She wouldn't be held back; she wouldn't let this small obstacle get in her way. She and her brother were _the same_ and no one would tell her otherwise. She would try her hardest to be the best she could be, so she could graduate at Naruto's side.


	10. Yanami Decides! Secret Letter?

Yanami awoke before Naruto, as always, but didn't bother to stop in the kitchen and make lunches before trudging out the front door. Performing a quick jutsu, she transformed into Yoeko and trotted down the street towards the Hokage's office. Hopping up the steps, she stopped at the door, awaiting for the old man's sweet voice before peeking in.

"Come in, _Yoeko_." The man cooed, waving for the young girl to come and take a seat. Doing as she was told, Yanami awaited for further instruction. "So, what how has your morning been?"

The girl gave a big thumbs up and a large grin, giving the usual Uzumaki welcome. Her smile faded slightly as she thought about how furious Naruto would be to find no lunches and no sister!

Clearing his throat, the Hokage continued. "Glad to hear that. So, let's get to the real point here. Have you decided? Would you like to train alone and graduate with your brother? Or wait another year and join a team?"

From the moment the words had escaped the mans lips Yanami had known which one she wanted, but of coarse the old man had made her wait, and she could do nothing but obey. Pulling out a note pad, she sketched out a few simple sentences and held them up for him to read.

"Yes, I have decided. I would like to train alone rather than wait to be on a team. Though I am really sad about not being on the same team as Naruto, I still want to graduate from the same class. I don't want to seem weak when compared to my brother. I want to be just like him, or even better, so I can protect him." Waiting until the Hokage finished, Yanami settled further into her seat, getting comfortable.

The man laughed slightly, signaling he had finished reading, and handed the girl a letter. "Give your teacher this, but don't read it." With a smirk, he watched as Yanami exited the room, waiting until the door was closed to puff a cloud of smoke from his pipe. "Don't worry, Yanami. You will go far."

Dashing down the steps and towards home, Yanami ran into a familiar blob. Flailing, she fell back, holding her head. "Gaah! Yanami where have you been!?" Looking up, the girl was face to face with her brother, who looked angry beyond belief.

The girl tried thinking of an excuse but couldn't. She didn't want to tell her brother what she knew. Shaking her head, she stood up, glaring at him, and writing this instead: 'We're in public! Call me YOEKO! After all, that is who I am at the moment." Blushing slightly, the boy leaning back awkwardly.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. But that doesn't excuse you from not making lunch! Here, I grabbed you an instant ramen, and at lunch I better see you eating ALL of it! Or else!" Sprinting past her, Naruto raced towards the school. Rolling her eyes, Yanami took after him. Her brother was such a trouble-maker sometimes.

Stopping at the gate, Yanami waited a moment or two before following in behind her brother. She didn't want to raise any suspicions. Taking her usual seat in front of Sasuke, she didn't even bother looking back to see what issues Sakura and Ino were causing over seat arrangements. She didn't even look back to see her brother's first kiss was with Sasuke.

To be honest, she couldn't care less. She had other things on her mind. She needed to graduate, no matter what it took. Her brother was going to pass this time, she knew it, and she couldn't fail him. The girl slammed her fist into the desk just as Iruka slammed open the door.

"Calm down and take a seat!" The man ordered, walking in with a clipboard and the usual papers. Starting right off with attendance, everyone made themselves known before the class began. The lesson today was about chakra again, Yanami's favorite subject, but she couldn't seem to focus.

When class finally ended and everyone was heading home, the girl took her chance to give her sensei the note.

"What is this?" The man asked, quickly reading the letter. It was from the Hokage. Looking up at Yanami, he smiled and excused her. Bowing, Yanami grabbed her bag and dashed from the room. She was curious about what was on the letter, but quickly forgot it, looking forward to eating some ramen with her brother.


End file.
